Healthy WorkLife, Healthy Living is the theme of this year’s National Healthy Lifestyle Campaign (NHLC) in Singapore.

Launched last month by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, the campaign will focus on the promotion of health in the workplace. The aim is to encourage all employers to create healthy work environments and to provide sustainable health promotion programmes and services for their employees.

Although a national health survey in 2004 reported an overall improvement in the health of Singaporeans, it also showed that working adults aged between 30-49 years do the least amount of exercise.

In a statement, the NHLC 2005 organising committee said: “We hope that this year’s campaign will energise our corporate chieftains to introduce more workplace health activities for their employees.

"The workplace is an ideal setting for promoting health, as 65 per cent of Singaporeans over 15 years of age are in the workforce. Working people spend more than two-thirds of their waking hours doing their job.”

The committee organised a number of events to kick start the campaign. These included a walkathon at the Padang – a nationally-sanctioned field located in the centre of Singapore and used for a variety of events.

The NHLC teamed up with Wheelathon, a fund-raising event organised by the Singapore Disability Sports Council, to bring together around 20,000 able-bodied and disabled sports enthusiasts to take part in the event.

There was also a three-day Health and Fitness Expo, which featured information on a range of topics, from traditional Chinese medicine and healthy eating to stress management and how to stop smoking.

Visiting members of the public were also able to receive free health screenings, dental check ups and massages.